What Is Freedom? (Vaulkhar)

[Asajj Novar]

"During my time in the Assassins I too was just an asset to my father. The dark removed all traces of who he truly was. I saw it, even hated him for it. I suppose that's why I lasted so long in the Sith. My hate for him burned so, so strong." She mused idly, glancing to him as he began his simple exercises. Never one to sit still. Asajj smirked at the similarities between [member="Vaulkhar"] and Krest. "It's rare someone has a past they want to remember. But.." She paused, her smile dropping to a more saddened expression.

"We don't have the right to forget. The people we've killed. The blood on our hands. The people who've died around us. It's our burden, our obligation to remember. To never forget so they may never fade. What ever our reasons we at least owe them that much, no?" She forced the smile again. She was not the only one captured, but the only one to survive. For their memory she would never forget what had happened. Her purple gaze watched the half breed continue his exercises, eventually causing a frown to form on her lips. She looked down at her chair, at her severed limbs and weakened body. Shame flooded her mind.

"Hey, would it.." Again she paused, biting her lip. Her father was the epitome of strength in her eyes, a goal to strive towards. Yet now she was just a weakened husk. Her fist tighten till the knuckles turned white and she lifted her head, staring at Vaulkhar with as much determination as she could muster.

"Teach me when I can stand again. Help me get stronger."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Hmm, it is possible that your father's focus was not on you due to his training of me during our tenure with the assassins," the idle musing ended at that, the half breed removed his saber from his side once more. He truly could not sit still. For whatever reason he opted to focus not on a response to the latter portion of her statement, his attention momentarily elsewhere. Without a second thought he tossed it in the air and concentrated. It paused mid-fall before beginning to spin repeated circles. Vaulkhar's hand seemed to mirror the pattern, rather, it seemed to mirror his hand movements. "I think," he began weakly. "I do not share that opinion. While I don't share my father's mindset completely on how to treat those weaker than I, if I've killed them, they are likely not worth remembering. Those who've perished for me are another story though. The people who've stood side by side with me on the battlefield will always be remembered."

His attention shifted from the spinning saber, though it's twirling did not falter. The start of her question did not catch him off guard, it was her staggered continuation of it and the final outcome that caused a hint of confusion to form within him. Teach her? Did he want to take on another student? He barely considered Jairdain one, rather just someone he offered lessons in Soresu from time to time. Several minutes of silence ensued after her question, the half breed considering the question.

"Sure."

Eventually the answer came, a shrug bounced along his shoulders. A grin accompanied it, though he quickly quelled the gesture.

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

Asajj fell silent at [member="Vaulkhar"] 's answer, sheepishly looking down. She had crossed a line, tried to enforce an opinion that he wasn't ready or even willing to accept. Who was she, a cripple, to suggest such things to a man her father recognized as worthy? The comment on her fathers focus on him only solidified the idea she wasn't strong enough to gain the Kings assistance in getting stronger. She was her father's little girl, not the warrior she wanted to be in his eyes.

An overwhelming sadness took her form as she felt so frail, so weak. Watching Vaulkhar practice while she couldn't even lift herself off the chair she was confined to only made her angry at her weakness. The Sith didn't tolera- She stopped the thought halfway, gazing down to her hand as the anger melted away. She wasn't Sith anymore, never again. Her gaze went back up to the Halfbreed when he answered, his simple response beating away the despair she felt.

"Thank you." It was barely a whisper. Without even realizing it tears had begun to spill down her cheeks, dripping onto the bandages around her arms. For the first time in years she felt hope.

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar felt her sadness though he did not comment on it, not out of any malicious intent, but it was important for her to likely work her way through her own emotions. He could feel the conflicting emotions wafting off of her, though that he opted out of commenting on as well. It wouldn't do for him to push his thoughts or beliefs onto her, as it wouldn't bode well for her either. The two each had their own issues to work through and to the half breed, the best thing he could do was offer assistance where he knew how. Acquiring the power necessary to be noticed by one's father. Truly ironic. He gently reached over and wiped a few of the tears away with his index finger. His hand drifted to her shoulder where he gently squeezed it.

"Do not cry, Asajj."

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

Asajj didn't flinch under his touch this time. She peered into his blind eyes, smiling wide. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're just.. I really can't thank you enough." She continued to whisper, and eventually she'd bring her tears to heel, blushing bright. [member="Vaulkhar"] had been so kind through all of her tears, insecurities. The witch knew he could feel her emotions, filling her with even more embarrassment at her break down. Her gaze traveled down to her hands again for a moment.

She took a deep breath before looking back into the Epicanthix's eyes with fierce determination. "Again, thank you." Gently she placed her hand on his own, squeezing. "I'll try to heal quickly so we can begin."

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar stood up at that, his concentration on the saber hilt breaking entirely. Without looking in the direction of the weapon he deftly plucked the weapon from the air with practiced ease and slid it into it's place at his belt once more. He studied her thoroughly for a moment, searching for something. He could feel the force energies leaking off of her, he knew she was with the Sith and the assassins, yet the woman did not carry the signature weapon of their trade. A light saber. It was interesting to see someone with the training without one. He gently set his left hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit, offering a smile, while his other hand removed the second saber at his belt and held it out to her.

"There is no need to thank me for this, I'm here to help. Besides, you're father would probably want me to train you anyway," he grinned wide before allowing his left arm to return to his side. He pressed it against his hip and shifted his weight a bit. "Keep the saber, it'll be your training weapon until you can make your own. It was my first lightsaber, I crafted it on Coruscant a decade ago."

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

Asajj blinked at the offering of a lightsaber. They were incredibly personal to their wielder, an extension of their very soul. Gingerly she took the smooth cylinder, staring down at it in bewilderment. "You're sure? This is such an impo-" The Dathomir was interrupted halfway in her sentence by [member="Vaulkhar"] 's hair ruffle, causing her to blush a deep red as she looked back up at him. Perhaps it had been because of the cruelty she had been around, but she truly believed this Zambrano was the kindest person in the galaxy.

"Alright. Then, I promise to return this within a months time. I'll have my new saber built by then."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"I don't hold the same feelings towards lighsabers as others do. I've never felt personally attached to it as it's just a weapon of war, though I appreciate your willingness to return it to me," Vaulkhar allowed his other hand to fall back at his side before he clasped the two of them together behind his back. His gaze slipped from Asajj and instead settled on the door. How long had it been since Krest ordered him to prove himself to those guards? Where was he? Was he here to prove himself to whoever this woman really was as well? Lots of questions, yet he still couldn't find an answer. Unfortunate.

Once more he began to pace around the room. His energies from earlier had slowly began to dissipate, but at this point he was just restless. It been too long since he was on a proper mission and he tended to get the jitters when he wasn't doing anything. He spent most of his days training the guard, training himself, researching anything he can in regards to the dark side, or exploring his palace. Standing in a room having idle conversation was just something he wasn't used to. His gaze flickered back to Asajj rather suddenly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Anything interesting to do in the palace?"

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"I.. Suppose." Still, as she stared down at the saber she could feel [member="Vaulkhar"] 's past. It was almost like holding onto his soul. She set it gently down in her chair, turning her gaze around the room they were in. It was the hallway to the throne room with vast pillars and high ceilings. "Something interesting.. Hmm.." She idly tapped at her chin, looking around the room as if the answer was written somewhere on the walls.

Then, as if the answer actually had been, she grinned wide and looked back to the Halfbreed. "Would you like to see the monster of Iridonia?" Without waiting for an answer she rolled off, the Force clearly being used to push her chair at a rather fast pace. "She's just down this way!" She, the monster, wasn't actually far from the throne room. After her talents had been figured out the King wanted to keep her close.

Yet, no one was near the room they were heading towards. For what ever reason even the normal staff avoided this section. She stopped just outside the door to the room labeled "Design" with a big grin. "Just in here. I warn you, she's pretty terrifying."

[member="Designer"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar's idle pacing paused at the woman's words, his brow perked at her words. He began to walk towards her, scratching at his cheek as he went. As she mentioned the "Monster of Iridonia" he faltered slightly. He most certainly did not want to run face first into any sort of monster for rather obvious reasons, though he found it better not to say anything of the sort. Asajj seemed relatively excited so there was no need to ruin her mood. As she began to roll off, he followed at a casual pace. He was rather surprised when she rolled off at a much higher speed than he expected with the aid of the force, another grin sneaking onto his face. That was an interesting use of the force. He never thought someone within a wheel chair could do such, however it made perfect sense considering he himself was able to increase his bodily speed without such. With a quick shake of his head and a small laugh, he set off after her.

The world blurred around him as he cleared the distance between them in the blink of an eye, his speed unable to be witnessed by the naked eye. Likely any eye, really. He stopped abruptly beside her, managing the full stop without losing his balance and stumbling. He gently set his cybernetic hand on her shoulder and studied the door. Had he been able to read it, he'd likely of been interested in the strange label for it. However, he wasn't able to read it so he just sorta stared blankly at it.

"Er, terrifying? Would it be wise to enter the room then, Asajj?"

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Designer]

A cold draft of mist would drift out of the door upon opening it, pooling out about their feet before it disappated into air, and the only other thing to be seen from outside of the room was an eerie multicolor glow that accompanied an almost pitch black darkness. The floor inside the room had a resistance to it, a sticky feeling that caused a slight “peeling” or “ripping” sound to echo in the silent void. Odd narrow pillars were strewn about the room, like irregular supports except for the fact that they didn’t connect to the floor and ceiling in the exact same relative spot, so instead of being directly up and down they came down at all manner of angles, sometimes with more “pillars” branching off from them to connect to the surface as well, whether that was the wall, ceiling, floor, or object. Tables filled the room, covered in all manner of objects from scraps of metal to parchment and writing implements that completely cluttered every surface imaginable. The eerie, multicolored glow came from multiple lamps and light sources that dotted the room, whether they hung from the walls or stood on a table, some were even suspended in the pillars, and each one was a different color and intensity, illuminating the pillars in multicolor from all possible angles. If touched, they’d find that every single surface was covered or made of the same sticky substance that coated the floor, and it adding it all together it wouldnt take someone very long to realize that this was spider silk.

A sharp chittering sound would echo throughout the chamber shortly after they advanced into the room, the source of it coming from somewhere above them in the large space, though whatever made the sound had yet to show its face.


[member="Vaulkhar"] [member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

Asajj grinned wide at [member="Vaulkhar"] 's hesitation. Worry, fear, something else. What ever emotion founded his question played exactly into what the Dathomir wanted. With surprising ease she burst away from the blind man's grasp, giggling as her chair flew through the double doors. She herself might not be able to move yet, but through the Force she could still get around on her own. Her chair slid over the webs with ease at first, then quickly got tangled, halting her progress underneath the large space where the chittering was coming from.

"Come say hi [member="Designer"] !" She called up, still giggling despite literally being stuck in a web with the spider ready to drop on her.

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Ahhhh," Vaulkhar peered inside with narrowed eyes. His mind flashed back many years to his first mission he took for a former master of his, Vengeance. He was tasked with cleansing a rather large infestation of GIANT spiders which killed off an Imperial outpost and made it their nest. He wasn't particularly frightened by spiders, though he definitely wasn't fond of them. The half breed had his fair share of spider killing dreams since such an encounter. A fair share indeed.... As Asajj raced in he reached out to grab her but was too slow and she made her way in. As her wheelchair was tangled up in the webs his hand dropped down to his lightsaber which he gripped firmly in his right hand. His knuckles whitened further as he stepped up to the door. Did he want to kill whatever creature called this room home? No, not at all. Would he if it threatened him or his crippled companion. Absolutely.

"Asajj, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't really like spiders and if it's a threat it will be neutralized."

He made no moves to enter the room.

[member="Asajj Novar"] | [member="Designer"]

 

[Designer]

“Aww, thats no fun...!” a soft feminine voice called from above, echoing throughout the chamber alongside the chittering. Though designer meant no harm, her vibrating tones sometimes sounded malicious when she only meant to tease. “What manner of company have you brought me today, Asajj?” The Assembler Node giggled as she descended from the ceiling by a single strand of neurofiber before she came to land on the Dathomir’s head, gently poking Asajj with her 6 appendages.

Eight, orange eyes glimmered out at the newcomer as the brown Node clung to the back of her friends head, almost snuggling into the mass of red hair Asajj had. Compared to the somewhat eerie and ominous room and original voice that accosted the two humanoids, Designer herself was oddly adorable; large eyes that glinted mischievously, paired with a slightly furry and bulbous spider like body which came to be about only two feet all around.

“Im Designer!” The tone of her voice was completely different now than when she’d first spoken, more pleasant and friendly than the teasing tone shed used before. “So... who might you be?” The Node chittered.

[member="Vaulkhar"] [member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

"What I do not consider fun, is an eight legged, two foot long arachnid..." Vaulkhar narrowed his eyes as he looked over the furry creature. His gaze switched from it's usual jolly, happy tone to that of a murderous, predatory haze. The dark side began to leak from him as his eyes flared a molten orange color. His fingers flexed around his lightsaber. Discomfort was written plainly across his face and he was making no attempts to hide it. After a moment of cold silence, he released a deep breath and allowed the dark side energies to fade away. The warmth which had been sucked away by his unintentional display returned as the bitter and biting dark side force energies dissipated entirely.

It's possible the half breed would find the creature's orange eyes rather humorous if he was capable of seeing them, though his discomfort remained. As did the distance between them. Vaulkhar released the lightsaber and crossed his arms over his chest. The shift in tone noticeably had a positive effect on him. His murderous glare becoming much more neutral, hovering around casual distaste.

"Well Designer, I am Vaulkhar."

[member="Designer"] | [member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

Asajj's giggly demeanor quickly faded as she saw the orange once again fill [member="Vaulkhar"] 's eyes. Where she had been frantically petting the giant spider known as [member="Designer"] she instead clung to her, almost pulling her away defensively. It wasn't fear that took her now, but a determination to protect her friend. With a calm gaze she stared down the half breed and waited for him to calm.

mOnce he did she let out her held breath, pouting. "You know it's rude to be so hostile to a guest. Designer here is helping be become whole again after all." To enforce this idea that the Node was a friend she went about scratching her head like she was a dog.

 

[Designer]

Designer began to squirm in Asajj’s arms, her chittering raising in pitch as she felt slightly squished due to the Dathomir’s protective grasp. “It’s ok Asajj!” The Node squeaked almost, her vibrating tones heightened in frequency in urgency as she tried to calm her defensive friend. “Not everyone is going to like me!” Six appendages waved about as she tried to escape, only to halt their movement once the young woman began to pet her, though an underlying quiet buzz began to reverberate throughout her small body, much to her embarrassment.

“It’s nice to meet you, Vaulkhar. I’m sorry if I caused you any discomfort, it was not my intention.” The Node put her front two appendages together and bowed her head in apology to the man, all eight of her eyes closed for mere moments before she opened them back up to look up as Asajj. Designer then snuggled back into the womans lap, rumbling softly. “So what can I do for you two today?”

[member="Vaulkhar"] [member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Hmm," the half breed went silently and eyed the odd duo before him. A crippled and struggling woman alongside a furry, two foot long, eight eyed spider. It most definitely wasn't the weirdest thing he's ever seen but it definitely wasn't normal either. He knew his outburst was unacceptable, but did he care? Did it matter to him whether or not he showed this spider an inkling of respect? A week earlier he'd of said no and cut the beast down without a second thought. Now, well now was different. He didn't want to let his master down. He didn't want to let Jairdain down. And strangely enough, he didn't want to let Asajj down either. If this creature was truly here to help fix the broken woman before him he had to behave himself. It was only right.

"I do apologize, Designer... I er, well..." is it a good idea to discuss a mission in the past where he mercilessly slaughtered hundreds of spider creatures? Probably not. "I've had a few nasty run ins with arachnids over the years, I allowed my feelings to get the better of me." Vaulkhar dipped his head in a nod of recognition. "If you are here to help Asajj, I'll do my best to aid you in anyway possible. And of course," he awkwardly scratched at the back of his head, visibly embarrassed as he looked away. "Not kill you."

[member="Designer"] | [member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"Good." Asajj nodded in her appreciation of [member="Vaulkhar"] 's apology to [member="Designer"] . She continued to pet the giant spider for a little while longer before letting her go to return to her web. "I came to see how you were doing on my feet." She spoke the words almost cheerfully, but as soon as she said it her smile faltered. She glanced to the blind man for a second, curling her stumped legs under the chair as if to hide them. "So I can walk again, yeah."

 

[Designer]

Designer gently booped [member="Asajj Novar"] on the nose as she made her way back up into her webbing, using the criss crossing of the different pillars of web to bring her to a different spot in the room. “My designs for your legs are all set!” the Nodes vibrating tones peaked excitedly as she skittered about, her chittering echoing throughout the chamber. “I do need to ask your father for some sort of... com system though.” She giggled sheepishly as she disappeared into a large, circular mound of webbing that hung close to the cieling. “I didn’t think about how I would get in touch with anyone once their designs are finished, my mind isn’t good on that front.... now... where did I put those designs....” forgetfull as ever, Designer searched her nest for the leg designs, her chittering growing more and more frustrated as she looked. In all honesty though, the pages pertaining to Asajj lay almost directly next to the Dathomir on one of the tables, plain as day, especially with Designers horrifying color combinations, comprising mostly of neon vibrant pinks and orange, before mixing in a mottled moldy green. Other than the colors, the designs were finished and were to Asajj’s requested design. “I’ll.. uh.. be just a moment I swear! Theyre around here somewhere!” More angry space brain spider chitters as she skittered around.

[member="Vaulkhar"]